Soil contaminated by salt poses a significant problem for many facilities. For example, the soil in the vicinity of oil fields and oil pipelines may become so contaminated with salt that the soil is unfit for plant growth. In such situations, groundwater located beneath the surface of the soil and soil pore spaces may become contaminated with salt, and with liquid water containing high concentrations of salt. Therefore, it is necessary to remediate soil containing high concentrations of salt, either as a precipitate or from pore water containing high concentrations of salt.
One method of soil remediation involves removing soil containing high concentrations of salt and burying the contaminated soil in a pit lined with a water-impermeable liner, such as clay. However, such methods are costly, and require large areas for the pit. This method simply relocates the problem and does not fully address the salt-contaminated soil.
Other methods of soil remediation involve the use of electrokinetics. With electrokinetic soil remediation, the soil remains intact and anode and cathode tubes are sunk in patterns in the contaminated soil. An electric current is supplied to the anode and cathode tubes and, through the principles of electroosmosis and electromigration, the disassociated sodium and chloride ions migrate through the pore water in the contaminated soil to collect around the cathode and anode, respectively, where they are extracted. However, most electrokinetic processes are slow and complex.
Accordingly, there is a need for an electrokinetic system and method that is efficient and robust.